Homer Johnson Benefit Supper

By Michael Stromley

Thursday

Apr 11, 2013 at 7:27 AM

In 2005, Homer Johnson moved his family to Greenwood. He was born in Louisiana in 1971 and spent most of his adult life as a butcher. He has been married to the love of his life, Tina, for almost 22 years and they have two boys that are nearing their teenage years. With the economy in a downward spiral, Homer has been out of work. Tina, as an RN at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, has been the family’s sole provider. The boys, Chase (12) and Cody (11) go to Greenwood High School and the entire family attends First Baptist Church.

In October of 2012, Homer got sick. In January of 2013, after various tests, it was determined that he had Colorectal cancer and was scheduled for additional testing. Those tests determined he also had Renal Cell Carcinoma. He was immediately schedule for a 5-week treatment of chemo and radiation.

The chemo/radiation treatments were unsuccessful and Johnson was sent to see a microsurgery specialist in Tulsa since the procedure required to save his life is not available in Fort Smith. His operation will be performed on April 29 and there will be a team of doctors working to remove both cancers during a long and difficult surgery.

"This has been a real strain on our family, but it has been a blessing," Tina reports. "It has made us stronger in our faith and closer to God. God has opened our eyes to the reasons for many things that have happened previously in our lives."

"It has been real tough on our [Chase] 12-year-old," she goes on to explain. "He went to the computer and did a little too much investigation. Cody, our 11-year-old is autistic and just understands that daddy is sick.

"We have been blessed by our friends from Greenwood by their prayers. We are barely making it financially. Without the gifts and support, we would not have made it this far. We have faith that God will continue to provide."

The Johnson’s insurance has 3 tiers and a separate deductible for each one. They need to come up with thousands of dollars before the insurance even begins to pay for the surgery.

There will be a Spaghetti Benefit Supper and Auction sponsored by the Spirit of the Outdoors Radio Show. The event will be held on April 20 at the Greenwood Methodist Church. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. and is $5 per plate. The auction will begin at 7 p.m.

An account has also been set up at Rivertown Federal Credit Union in Fort Smith, named the "Homer Johnson doesn’t fight Cancer Alone Fund." Call the Credit Union at 479-784-5600 to help out.

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